


Game On!

by voltron_college_au



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Bilingual, Bilingual Character(s), Biracial Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon LGBTQ Character, Canon LGBTQ Male Character, Coffee, Coffee Shops, College, College Student Allura (Voltron), College Student Hunk (Voltron), College Student Keith (Voltron), College Student Lance (Voltron), College Student Pidge | Katie Holt, College Student Shiro (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Français | French, Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Male Character, Gay Panic, Gay Pride, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, M/M, Married Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Native American Character(s), Original Character(s), POV Pidge | Katie Holt, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25028785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voltron_college_au/pseuds/voltron_college_au
Summary: In the imaginary French- and English-speaking country, Réncille, the characters of Voltron attend two colleges in city of Sainville. This city, located on the northern coast of Pyoline Province, is a bustling hub of activity much like Columbus, Ohio. Pidge, a freshman computer science and game design double major at Sainville State College (SSC) is attempting to code an MMORPG game that gives players a full-sensation experience of what it's like to be a Paladin of Voltron. Follow along as her adventures in game creation lead to the formation of friendships, romantic exploits, and crazy late-night adventures!
Relationships: Allura & Lotor (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Curtis & Shiro (Voltron), Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Pidge & Clarissa (OC), Pidge / Clarissa (OC)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Problems

**Author's Note:**

> Locations:  
> \- Country: Réncille (pronounced: rahn-SEEL) [bilingual country: English and French]  
> \- Province: Pyoline (pronounced: pyOH-leen)  
> \- City: Sainville (pronounced: sahn-veel)  
> \- Sainville State College (SSC) [Known for strong math and science programs]  
> \- Université de Réncille (UR) [Known for its Aviation Flight Science major and its law programs]  
> \- Café-Sain (This coffee shop's name is a triple play on words: "Sain" in French means "healthy", playing on the idea that coffee is good for you; When pronounced, "sain" sounds like a common title in Japanese (san); "Sain" is part of the city's name.)
> 
> Character Background  
> \- Pidge (16 yo) is a freshman computer science and game design double major at SSC (she  
> skipped 2 grades)  
> \- Clarissa (19 yo) is a transgender biracial (Cuban and Native American) sophomore game design and music technology double major at SSC  
> \- Lance (18 yo) is a freshman game design major at SSC  
> \- Hunk (18 yo) is a freshman math education and computer science double major at SSC  
> \- Keith (21 yo) is a junior aviation flight science major at UR, and works as a barista at Café-Sain  
> \- Allura (25 yo) is a second-year Grad student in the Social Justice Studies program at UR  
> \- Lotor (24 yo) is a first-year Grad student in the Public Administration program at UR, and works as a barista at Café-Sain  
> \- Shiro (25 yo) is a second-year Grad student (and assistant) in the Aviation Flight Science program at UR  
> \- Curtis (27 yo) is the owner of Café-Sain
> 
> Relationships:  
> \- Klance (Keith x Lance) [Fanon]  
> \- Lotura (Lotor x Allura) [Canon]  
> \- Shurtis (Shiro x Curtis) [Canon]  
> \- Clarige (Pidge x Clarissa [OC]) [Non-Canonical]  
> \- Hunk is happily aromantic and single

“Ugh,” Pidge groaned in a frustrated tone, banging her head against the table lightly. “This stupid program!”

Hunk, though he was sitting next to Pidge, was too entranced in his coding work to notice, and kept typing away. However, Lance, sitting across from her, looked up from his computer screen and yanked off his headset. “What’s up?”

Sighing, Pidge ran her fingers through her short auburn hair. “I can’t seem to get this coding right. No matter what I do, when I get the program up and running, it’s janky. There are so many glitches…” She trailed off, twisting her mouth sourly.

“... Well, maybe I can help,” Lance offered hesitantly. “I know you're practically a pro, but maybe you need a fresh set of eyes?”

Pidge chuckled. “Well, I mean, no, I'm not. I wouldn't be here at college if I were a pro.”

Lance snickered. "Well, I wouldn't be here at college if I were a pro either."

"No," Pidge agreed, "You'd be in your mom's basement trying to market yourself as a pro gamer on YouTube."

“Oh, ouch. That hurts," Lance chuckled. “Wow, man, I thought you had a little more faith in me."

Pidge eyed him bemusedly. “Whatever. Anyways, here.” She spun her laptop around and shoved it towards him. “Give it a go. I’m gonna go grab a cup of coffee at Café-Sain.”

“Bring me back my usual!!” Lance called after her as she tugged on her lime-colored varsity jacket, which displayed the words “Université de Réncille” and the University’s mascot, Kaltenecker, on the back.

“... Will you  _ actually _ pay me back this time?” Pidge asked, her voice laced with judgement.

“I swear!” Lance promised. “Here, I’ll send you it. Right now.”

“Ok.” Pidge said. Then, “Wait, wait, wait. Your usual… Let me see if I can remember it right: An extra-large cold-brew coffee with three shots of espresso, two pumps of cinnamon syrup, almond milk, and extra whipped cream, topped with… pink salt?”

“Almost,” Lance smiled. “Four shots of espresso.”

“Good god. You’re gonna poison yourself with caffeine.” Pidge bemoaned. Her phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “$6.75 for a coffee… Jesus, you’ve got expensive taste.”

“What can I say?” Lance laughed. “I just know my worth.”

Pidge glanced sideways at him and, in silence, stalked out the door.


	2. Café Sain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge goes to Café-Sain and meets a new barista. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French phrases marked with *# will be translated into English in the end notes.

_Tap tap tap_ went Pidge’s sneakers as she jogged down the stairs from her third-floor dorm room. She arrived at the ground floor and breezed through the east entrance, a _clang_ ringing out behind her as the heavy metal door slammed shut. After a few minutes of walking, Pidge was suspended far above the glimmering water of La Rivière Lueur, shuffling her way across the suspension bridge that divided SSC’s campus from Uptown Sainville.

Sweat glistening on her brow in the burning late-August heat, Pidge reached the northern end of the bridge. Blinking, she paused, then smacked her lips. “Yeah…” She mumbled, “Yep, I have no clue where to go from here.”

She whipped out her phone. “Ok, Google,” she commanded, “donne-moi les directions à Café-Sain en Sainville, Pyoline.” *1

An automated voice responded, “D'accord, un moment… En train de trouver des directions à Café-Sain… L'itinéraire le plus rapide prendra quatre minutes par pied.” *2

Pidge studied the map on her phone for a moment before beginning to walk again, and somehow managed to arrive unscathed at Café-Sain despite the massive crowds of students milling about Uptown. She opened the door to the sound of a small tinkling bell and felt a sigh of relief escape her lips as her face was hit with a blast of air conditioning.

Walking up to the counter, Pidge ran Lance’s order over again in her head. She was so stuck in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the barista at the register trying to get her attention.

“Madame?... Allô?..” The barista, a man with long silvery hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail awkwardly prompted her. “Vous avez choisi?” *3

“Oh!” Pidge snapped out of her stupor. “Oh, désolé, euh…” She glanced at his name tag, “Désolé, Lotor… Attends, are you new here?” *4

“Ouais!” Lotor replied in a fakely-chipper tone. “Started 3 weeks ago. Ravi de faire votre connaissance!” *5

“You, too!” Pidge smiled compulsively. “Ok, ben, je voudrais un grand frappuccino au chocolat blanc sans la crème fouettée, et…” *6

“Hm?” Lotor prompted.

“Et… Oof, this one’s tough, it’s for a friend.” Pidge grimaced. 

Lotor chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m used to it, I used to work at Starbucks. Et alors, c’est quoi?” *7

“Un extra-large café infusé à froid avec quatre coups d'espresso et deux pompes de sirop de cannelle, le lait d'amande, la crème fouettée extra, et le sel rose. Et un sac de transport, s’il vous plaît.” *8

“Okay,” Lotor tallied up the total. “$11.70, please.”

Pidge handed him her card with a half-smile, then marched over to an ancient cozy chair and plopped herself down in it. As she waited for her order, her thoughts meandered back to her game. _What am I doing wrong?_ She thought. _I’ve checked the coding for typos... made sure that none of the local files got deleted. What’s causing all the glitches?_ She began to chew on her lip, a bad habit that she’d picked up since starting college 3 weeks prior. _Maybe I’m not cut out to be a computer programmer…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiarly rude call of her name. Pidge looked up to see her least-favorite, still-stuck-in-his-emo-phase barista, Keith, slam her drinks down on the counter next to a carrying bag. She rolled her eyes and heaved herself out of the sunken seat of her chair, grabbing the drinks and exiting the coffee shop to the gentle tinkling of bells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French phrases:  
> *1 “Okay, Google, give me directions to Café-Sain in Sainville, Pyoline.”  
> *2 “Okay, one moment… Finding directions to Café-Sain… The quickest route will take four minutes by foot.”  
> *3 “Ma’am?... Hello?... Are you ready to order?”  
> *4 “Oh! Oh, sorry, uh… Sorry, Lotor…Wait, are you new here?”  
> *5 “Yeah! Started 3 weeks ago. Happy to meet you!”  
> *6 “You, too! Ok, welp, I’d like a large white chocolate frappuccino without whipped cream, and…”  
> *7 “That’s okay. I’m used to it, I used to work at Starbucks. Alright so, what is it?”  
> *8 ”An extra-large cold-brew coffee with four espresso shots and two pumps of cinnamon syrup, almond milk, extra whipped cream, and pink salt. And a carrying bag, please.”


	3. f*ck you lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge meets Clarissa!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hepburn Hall is Pidge’s dorm building. This particular dorm is gender-inclusive, and Pidge shares a room with both Hunk and Lance. The three of them were placed together by random selection, but quickly became great friends due to their related interests and majors.
> 
> French phrases marked with *# will be translated into English in the end notes.

Pidge trudged back into Hepburn Hall, half-melted drinks in hand, and hauled herself up the seemingly-endless stairs until she reached her dorm room. She swiped her ID to unlock the door and threw it open with a loud, “I’m _back_ , b*tches!”

Much to her surprise, Hunk and Lance weren’t the only people in the room. Hunched over close to Lance stood an obscenely tall and muscular bronze-skinned girl. She quickly glanced up, and her short, wavy, cotton-candy-pink hair swished violently.

Pidge felt her face flush with embarrassment. “O-Oh… Uh… B-B-B-B-Bon… Bonjour,” She stuttered. “Wh..Wh-What’s up?” Immediately, she cursed herself. _D*mmit, Pidge! She’s hot and you just bombed your first impression._

Lance stood and hooked an arm over the towering girl’s shoulders with visible effort. He tried to give her a noogie, and she playfully swatted him away. “This is Clarissa, she’s the brightest bulb in the game design department! Clarissa, this is Pidge, my third roommate, the one whose game I told you about.”

Clarissa’s face morphed into an awkward grimace. “Ummmm, yeah, no, that’s a lie. But hello!” She lifted Lance off of herself and came over to shake Pidge’s hand. “Lance texted me and told me that you were struggling with your game development. He tried to figure out what was wrong, but found zilch, and so I offered my aid! I hope you don’t mind.”

Pidge’s face deepened to a more saturated red as she said, “Oh, non, pas du tout!” *1

“Fantastique!” Clarissa smiled. “D’ac, donc je vais continuer.” She stepped back over to Pidge’s laptop and Lance got up to give her his chair. She nodded in appreciation, sat down, and began scanning her eyes across the screen. *2

Lance meandered over to Pidge. “Coffee?” He asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Pidge said distractedly, her eyes fixated on Clarissa’s figure. _How could a person be so beautiful??_ She handed Lance the carrying bag, and he grabbed his drink.

After a moment of silence, Lance whispered to Pidge, “So… I sense that someone has a little crush.~”

Wide-eyed, Pidge turned to him. “STOP,” she whispered. “No, I don’t.”

Lance shook with silent laughter. “Oh, please. I see that blush. You like her.”

“No. I. Don’t.” Pidge insisted. “We just met.”

His face forming into a wry half-smile, Lance scoffed. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“Okay, _fine_ , maybe I think she’s hot.” Pidge admitted, looking at the floor.

“What was that?” Lance nudged her with his elbow.

Pidge glared at him. “I’m not saying it again… But… Maybe give me her number?”

Lance chuckled and walked over to join Clarissa at the table. Hunk was still directly across from them. He'd passed out at some point, and a puddle of drool was amassing dangerously close to his _own_ laptop.

Pidge chuckled and began walking over towards him to wake him up. As she did, her phone dinged. She paused and unlocked it to see a notification: “1 new message from: f*ck you lance”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French phrases:  
> *1 “Oh, no, not at all!”  
> *2 “Fantastic! Ok, then I’ll get back to it.”


	4. Late-Night Chats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Axca, Pidge's Resident Assistant (RA)! She's 20 years old, and Lotor's younger cousin.

Pidge lay awake in her bunk, staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t sleep for a seemingly-endless barrage of thoughts. She was frustrated at her coding work, which had gotten nowhere despite Clarissa’s help; she was angry at herself for her awkwardness; she was flustered and confused about why she’d reacted to Clarissa the way she did. Never before had she ever felt so drawn to a total stranger or been so incapable of controlling her emotions.

Moaning, Pidge rolled over and, buried her face into her galaxy-themed pillow. She wanted to scream, but it was 4:42 in the morning and she knew that if she did, she’d not only wake up Lance and Hunk, but also would wind up getting noise complaints. As such, Pidge decided against it, and instead extended the hanging ladder and climbed down to the floor. Slipping her house shoes on and grabbing her phone, she slipped out the door and quietly scuffed her way down to the kitchen.

Once there, she bought an energy drink from the vending machine and meandered aimlessly outside onto the patio. Sitting down on one of the many bamboo beach-style chairs, she cracked open her drink with a  _ pop-shhh _ and tilted her head back to look at the stars. At the edge of her vision, she could see a slight pink tinge to the early morning sky, a taunting hint of the sunrise to come. She sipped her drink in silence, listening to the noises of the night.

“Hey, kiddo,” a voice suddenly piped up behind her, spooking Pidge so much that she spilled her drink on herself.

Pidge turned to see her RA, Axca, standing behind her, sporting an orange and blue nightgown that somehow perfectly complimented her vibrant purple hair.

“Ah-- Sorry.” Axca stalked forward and sat down on a chair beside Pidge. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just wondering if you’re okay?”

Nodding, Pidge said, “Yeah, I’m okay. Just can’t sleep. Why are you up?”

Axca chuckled. “Hmm, funny story. I can’t sleep, either. I keep worrying about my cousin. He just started a new job, and it’s really stressing him out.”

“Oh, really?” Pidge asked. “Where does he work?”

“Café-Sain,” Axca responded. “It’s a super popular little coffee shop in Uptown. Have you heard of it?”

“W-Wait,” Pidge coughed and turned to stare wide-eyed at her RA. “Wait, are you… Lotor’s your cousin?”

“Well, that’s one way to answer, I guess,” Axca laughed. “So I guess you  _ have _ visited. Yeah, he’s a few years older than me. He’s also a grad student at UR, and only took the job to try and pay off some of his student loans, but… He’s also trying to balance work and school with a long-term relationship, and it’s visibly getting to be too much.”

“Have you talked to him about it?” Pidge questioned, her voice laden with concern, thinking back Lotor’s strained, unrealistically chipper attitude.

Axca shook her head violently enough that her hair flew into disarray. “Yeah, but he doesn’t listen to anyone but Allura. She’s the only one who can get him to see sense.”

Pidge bit her lower lip. “Well… Has  _ she _ talked to him?”

“I have no clue. They’re in a rough patch right now, and Lotor doesn’t like to admit when he’s having problems. His father edged on abusive before his passing, and insisted that his children not show ‘weakness.’ According to  _ him _ , showing feelings or asking for help is weakness… So, Lotor doesn’t really talk much to anyone.

Pidge, wishing she could help more, was at a vague loss for words. Scrambling to say something, she mumbled, “I see.”

Nothing more was said as they both turned their faces to the sky, expectantly awaiting dawn.


	5. The Storm: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge narrowly manages to avoid getting soaked by a thunderstorm and wants to stay inside where it's dry, but her roommates have other plans.

Eyes fluttering open to the sounds of thunder, Pidge awoke to find herself still outside, slouched in a bamboo chair with a blanket draped over her. She blinked hard a few times, then turned her head to see Axca passed out next to her.  _ I must’ve fallen asleep _ , she listlessly thought.  _ I’m glad it’s Sunday. _ She glanced at her wristwatch. It was only 7:30 in the morning.

Pidge sat up and stretched, shoving her blanket aside. She stood up and hesitantly trudged over to Axca. She stretched out her hand and tapped her RA’s shoulder lightly. “Axca?”

No response.

“Axca…? Hey, wake up.”

Moaning, the tall girl begun to stir. “Fii more mimn…” she mumbled.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Sorry girl, no. It’s gonna rain.” She prodded her again. “Come on.”

Axca mumbled something incoherent and Pidge sighed. “Okay, well, you asked for it.” She slid her arms under Axca’s back and knees, and hefted her up.  _ Wow, she’s light _ , Pidge thought, carrying her towards the back entrance of Hepburn Hall. She backed into the door to open it, and managed to deposit Axca on one of the common room couches as the heavens opened up. The rain was so loud that Pidge was shocked at how Axca could remain asleep.

She chuckled and made her way back up to her dorm room. The musty smell of the stairwell permeated the corridor, along with something reminiscent of a watermelon jolly rancher and… maybe weed? As she made her way upstairs, the disgusting combination made her increasingly nauseous. However, as she flung her dorm room door open, the sensation was quickly replaced by a different sense of nausea: Her roommates were both awake.

“Pidge!” Hunk called as she walked in. “Hé, on va bientôt à l'Uptown pour le petit-dej. Rejoins-nous?” *1

“You do know it’s raining cats and dogs?” Pidge asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Ouais, il sera amusant!” Lance shot back, grinning. “Come on, you know you wanna…” *2

“No, no.” Pidge shook her head. “Definitely not. Come on, il y a un cuisine à la première étage. Et on a de la nourriture. Ne partez pas, on peut manger ici.” *3

The joy fell from Lance’s face. “Awww,” he pouted, donning puppy eyes. “But… Café-Sain vends les  _ meilleurs _ croissants.” *4

Slightly amused and slightly exasperated, Pidge tugged on her rain jacket and grabbed an umbrella. “Ugh, whatever. Fine.”

Lance and Hunk fist-bumped each other, their faces forming into wry, unreadable half-smiles. Before Pidge could take back her response out of suspicion, they each grabbed one of her arms and hauled her, protesting, out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French phrases:  
> *1 “Hey, we’re going to Uptown soon for breakfast. Wanna join us?”  
> *2 “Yeah, it’ll be fun!”  
> *3 “Come on, there’s a kitchen on the first floor. We have food. Don’t leave, we can eat here.”  
> *4 “But… Café-Sain has the best croissants.”


End file.
